I know many have situations where respite is difficult or even impossible right now but I have to encourage all caregivers to strategize, plan and prepare to implement their much-needed Spring respite now!

I just came back from a 3-day out of town, out of mind, no wifi or cell reception, flat-out respite break/retreat and it was wonderful.... Sure, I had to go right back to caregiving almost the moment I came back but the spring in my step has lasted 4 days now. A lot of cobwebs were swept away and bad habits banished.

Please, if there is any way at all to get that little break you need -- do it now.

8 Comments

I am hoping that all you guys get the breaks you so richly deserve, snow or no snow, real estate issues, flighty or iffy relatives, too-brief windows of time, and all! Go for it, make it happen! I really don't think you'll be sorry. :)

Oh the beauty of a break!! Sounds like warm chocolate on a cold night.

I actually desperately need to go check on my property in the US, which is my house that I rented out to be able to come take care of my mother. The rent agreement will be over at the end of May and I hope they stay, because otherwise I’d be in deep trouble having to find new tenants when I have my mom here who cannot be alone.

But thinking positively, at the very least I should go check on my house. Now that would be absolutely a gift from God! but I don’t think I could possibly find anybody to stay with my mother as she cannot stay by herself. I’ve tried before and if someone finally comes they leave in a few days after my departure, and I’ve had to come back almost immediately, paying the fee to change my air ticket, and leaving everything pending, which is actually worse; I even have tried cooking for at least two weeks and leaving the food served in plates in the fridge, so my mom only had to take the food out and use the microwave, but my mom hit crisis (emotional crisis more than anything) in a few days.

But HOPE is the last thing we should lose! so I will keep hoping that something or someone comes up and I actually can take my quick break and also take care of the only asset I’ve managed to keep after changing my life completely to become a full,time caregiver over a year ago.

Very glad for you all that are able to disconnect. God knows we all need it!

We are going to a wedding in Tx next week, and my cousins there are planning to keep mom and aunt for 6 weeks!!! I'll believe that when we see it, but it sounds good, and I have booked an overnight trip to a BNB for hubs and for a night! I'll be all over mom while we are in TX, because she is all tippy, etc.. and I probably hover too much.LOL But any time by hubs and I will be great! And my cousins are awesome, and great with mom and aunt. Just already hearing "It's too long.. etc" from the ladies. A law school graduation at the end is the goal! And since there are no grandparents left the Aunts are the fill in grands.. so it may work! We have only had a week off every so often in 3 years.. we take these ladies with us everywhere, and it's fine... but still.

I rarely get more than a half-day break from caregiving, but I'm hoping to take advantage of the spring weather and head up to a state park, walk through the woods and have a nice lunch somewhere. Just being out in the yard gardening is a break for me, though.

Good topic for discussion, and for respite. For me any "break" would be just a few hours inbetween visits with my father in PC. But I can still do a lot in 2 hours - I can get through a few garden magazines and create designs to implement later, and that's a really great way for me to recharge.

I might try to get one bed raked and turned, and if I'm lucky, I'll get started on moving some daylilies to act as borders.

And reading is always on the "break" agenda. If we get snow, as apparently is predicted, I'll wrap up in a warm blanket or quilt and either read more gardening magazines or finish the book I started a week or so ago.

A friend tried for years to get pregnant and she finally is! I told her I'd come up (800 miles!) for a baby shower. So, I'm flying up to my hometown, seeing friends and celebrating new life. I'm going to go to my favorite restaurants and just chill out. It's only for a long weekend, but it'll be nice!

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